BHP Names Americas Chief Brandon Craig as CEO — Update

By Rhiannon Hoyle

BHP Group named Brandon Craig as its next chief executive officer, opting for his experience advancing the company's growth projects in the U.S., Canada and South America as the world's biggest miner expands in copper and potash.

Craig will become CEO and a director of BHP on July 1, succeeding Mike Henry, who has led the company for more than six years.

Craig, a veteran BHP executive who has run the miner's Americas operations since March 2024, succeeds Henry at a time when the company is seeking to turbocharge its production of copper, a metal used heavily in electric vehicles, renewable energy and data centers.

BHP in recent years had tried unsuccessfully to acquire rival Anglo American, arguing a combination of the companies' prized copper mines and other operations would have significant benefits.

It has meantime made smaller acquisitions and advanced its own pipeline of growth options, many of which Craig has overseen during his time as Americas chief.

Under his leadership, Escondida--the world's largest copper mine--has extended its grade and production guidance through productivity improvements and a sharp focus on operational performance, said BHP.

He also oversaw the creation of the Vicuna joint venture, which BHP says has the potential to become one of the world's top copper and gold mines.

Craig, who joined BHP in 1999, had previously led the miner's Western Australia iron ore business, which for years was the engine of profits for the global miner.

"I am confident that his discipline and focus will continue to drive BHP's high-performance culture and advance the company's unrivaled pipeline of growth options to maximize shareholder returns," Chair Ross McEwan said in a statement.

Write to Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 17, 2026 18:10 ET (22:10 GMT)